1. Raphael Varane (Real Madrid) If you hadn't heard of Raphael Varane before the double El Clasico and the Champions League tie against Manchester United then no doubt you seriously took note of his performance. Aged just 19, he looks so incredibly comfortable yet so unbelievably reassuring in defence at one of the greatest clubs [.
Villarreal had a disastrous 2011-12 ending in an agonizing relegation to the 2nd division in the
dying minutes of the season. In 2010-11 Villarreal reached the semifinals of the Europa League and
finished 4th in La Liga to qualify for the Champions League. I focus on the performance of
Villarreal in the attacking third of the pitch in 2011 and compare it with that of 2010.
International Friendlies in the middle of the season- not one sane person likes them. They take
time away from those important league matches, or that important rest time. The most you can ask
fore in games like these are for no one to get hurt, and for some entertaining soccer. Last Night
we had both those things.
The New England Revolution lost 4-3 to the Columbus Crew on Saturday night, the thirteenth time
this season, New England Revolution has lost by a single goal. All but one of the club's defeats
this season have been by one goal. That is the sort of stat that must keep Jay Heaps awake at
night.
It was another disappointing road result for the Revs tonight as they fell 2-1 to the Chicago
Fire, bringing their 2012 record to 6-13-5 with still only one road win on the season. Meanwhile,
with tonight's result the Fire sit comfortably in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference standings and
look more than ready to extend their campaign into the post-season.
As you are all now well aware of Alvaro Fernandez has been acquired by the Chicago Fire for
allocation money. This can only be described as a huge boost for the Fire organization. Fernandez
has been a main stay in the very good Seattle offensive attack over the last few years. His
production has fallen off from last season to this season.
Soccer by Ives may have picked some English guy in Los Angeles to win the honor, but MLS had
other ideas, announcing today that Houston Dynamo forward/midfielder Calen Carr was voted MLS
Player of the Week.
What a fitting honor for a guy who is just back from injury, saw his team sign the excellent
Boniek Garcia as a DP to fill what had become his position and after recovering from concussion he
received in his Chicago Fire days, had serious doubts he might ever play again.
Benny Feilhaber notched his first goal and assist of the season on Saturday and helped lift the
Revolution to a 2-0 win over Chicago. (Photo: Kari Heistad)
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. Benny Feilhaber wants the ball at his feet no matter where he is on the field.
That much is certain about the Brazilian-born Revolution midfielder who has spent time behind the
strikers, at left wing, and in central midfield.
A match in Poland was halted at the weekend because a cow had invaded the pitch. The bovine
hooligan made some nice runs down the left wing before driving into the penalty area. But she
showed she was prepared to track back too she's doesn't expect to stay in the box while you [...]
Mexico would eventually win their quarter-final clash (after extra time) 4-2 against Senegal
today, but amidst all the goals, Papa Souare's Bruce Lee impression in the second-half certainly
stood out.
The left wing-back launched himself at Mexico's Hector Herrera, kicking the defender right in
the gob.
Brazil legend Roberto Carlos has announced he's hanging up his boots. OTP wishes him all the best
for the future and celebrates five of his craziest goals. 1. That free-kick vs France The ultimate
bendy free-kick and one of the most talked about goals ever to be scored in a meaningless friendly
tournament.
So, transfer deadline day is finally over and Fulham managed to secure three signings to add to
the team. Some quick thoughts on each one:
Dimitar Berbatov
Obviously the star signing of Fulham's transfer window. The loss of Moussa Dembele upset many
but the signing of Berba on a two year contract had most Fulham fans dancing a jig of delight.
So, transfer deadline day is finally over and Fulham managed to secure three signings to add to
the team. Some quick thoughts on each one:
Dimitar Berbatov
Obviously the star signing of Fulham's transfer window. The loss of Moussa Dembele upset many
but the signing of Berba on a two year contract had most Fulham fans dancing a jig of delight.
Three signings have already been confirmed in Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla, and a forth is
possibly going to happen in Åžahin from Madrid. But it is like when it is like the weather in
England, we moan when it is too cold and then moan when it is too cold, we moan when we don't sign
anyone and now some fans are moaning that we have no where to play them!
Three signings have already been confirmed in Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla, and a forth is
possibly going to happen in Åžahin from Madrid. But it is like when it is like the weather in
England, we moan when it is too cold and then moan when it is too cold, we moan when we don't sign
anyone and now some fans are moaning that we have no where to play them!
Alex Oshansky pops his TSG with this insightful piece on The Rooster, Brek Shea. You
can find great soccer analysis and difficult to digest spreadsheets from Alex on his own blog,
Tempo Free Soccer.
Brek Shea was a promising young MLS talent at the start of the 2011 season.
Ah, yes, the sweet, painful slog that is CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying, there you are. Oh, how
I'd missed you. First, Antigua & Barbuda make themselves more of a nuisance than hoped for, and
then Guatemala does the same. Last night's 1-1 tie in Guatemala City is a worthy away point for the
U.S. against a team much superior to Antigua & Barbuda, so sour grapes are not called for, but all
the same, I miss watching the U.
When you take the hands out of a game, you remove man's special tool for refined play and
frustration becomes the order of the day. The low scoring rate in soccer reflects that reality.
There are two ways to address the problem, run up your opponent's frustration by forcing him to
make more passes to get to the goal or minimize your own frustration by accepting the delay and
beating it with cunning and skill.
When you take the hands out of a game, you remove man's special tool for refined play and
frustration becomes the order of the day. The low scoring rate in soccer reflects that reality.
There are two ways to address the problem, run up your opponent's frustration by forcing him to
make more passes to get to the goal or minimize your own frustration by accepting the delay and
beating it with cunning and skill.
Henry Congratulates Solli on His Second Goal in Two GamesA stuttering, disjointed display in
Toronto on Saturday was only enough to earn the New York Red Bulls a 1-1 draw and a single point,
as they fell two points behind DC United atop the Eastern Conference standings (albeit with a game
still in hand).
There was a moment in Tuesday's US Open Cup match that crystallized just how brilliant
Philadelphia Union midfielder Michael Farfan can be and why we don't constantly see it.
In the 75th minute, he took the ball from a deep-lying central position, dribbled through three
defenders, and sent a low through ball long to his brother, Gabriel, who was cutting down the left
wing.
Seriously, though, despite the loss, the Revs weren't all that bad in this one. Granted, the
defense was clearly the weak link, falling back into old habits and what have you, but at least
there were a few bright spots. And, if you've read this segment before, you know I like the bright
spots.
What a mess. TFC played for a new coach tonight , Paul Mariner's debut, but the same old team wore
the shirt. A different formation as TFC returned to the traditional 4-4-2, but the players seemed
keen on demonstrating that they can be beaten in any formation. The first half was hard to watch.
Nicks' note: We have a Liverpool post for you today. Rather like the
transfer of Oussama Assaidi, this one is completely out of the blue.
Moonmoon, a writer for Sports Illustrated India, has written for BigFourZa
before; and she comes out of cryogenic sleep here to stop the bad press about Joe Allen.
QUINCY, Mass. – Traffic on Interstate 93 delayed the Azul's arrival to Veterans Memorial
Stadium on Wednesday, but they certainly weren't slowed on the field in a 2-0 win over
Boston.
Sony Narro scored the opening goal in the 16th minute and Mario DeMicili added an insurance goal
in the 69th minute in a game that started 30 minutes after its 7:00pm scheduled start.
I couldn't help but think to myself watching the Brighton v Chelsea disaster at the weekend,
that Eden Hazard doesn't want to be playing out on the left wing does he?. How many times did we
see him come inside and even at one stage, pop up on the right wing!.
I just wonder if our left hand side is going to be the real problem this season?
The Montreal Impact continue their Jeckyll and Hyde ways, looking terrible on the road but
extremely solid at home.
The Impact were at home in Montreal on Saturday night and tore apart a New York Red Bulls
defense that came in on a strong run of form. You wouldn't know it on Saturday as the Impact rolled
to a 3-1 victory.
It is looking that Valencia left-back Jordi Alba will be signing for Barcelona after the Euros
are finished.
Alba, who is currently away with the Spanish national side ahead of Euro 2012, is reportedly on
the verge of joining Barca for a fee in the region of €12 million.
Barcelona striker David Villa is hopeful the deal will be completed for the 23-year-old, who can
also play on the left wing saying:
"He's one of the people I get along best with and he has had a spectacular career and it is not
only Barcelona that would want him, but every team," the forward told reporters at a press
conference on Wednesday.
Last night's match against the LA Galaxy was a confusing one for Timbers fans. Despite the
team's defensive lapses the Timbers had several stand out performances in the the attack, giving
some hope going forward. Nobody was perfect, but a few players stood out enough for our editors to
pick them as the Man of the Match.
Roy Hodgson now dares to dream that England are genuine contenders to win Euro 2012, and who can
blame him?
Now assured of a place in the last eight of the showpiece summer tournament in Poland and Ukraine,
courtesy of a 1-0 win against co-hosts Ukraine, thanks to a header from the recalled Wayne Rooney,
and the Three Lions have to be taken seriously.
If you don't' already follow U.S Goalkeeper Hope Solo's twitter stream, you really should.
Solo's twitter rant was in response to former WNT defender Brandi Chastain's remarks when the
U.S. women's soccer team played Colombia on Saturday. During the first half, Chastain disparaged
defender Rachel Buehler's ball control.
HARRISON, New Jersey-- Connor Lade is very aware of his size.
He understands that, more often than not, each time he steps onto the field he will be the
shortest one out there. It's been this way his entire life, and now that he's midway into his
rookie season with the Red Bulls, he knows things aren't about to change.
Many football commentators still believe in some form of divide between incumbents and
substitutes. I think those days are over. Welcome to the era of the incumbent that just doesn't
start the game. That's a small paradigm shift which has already happened in rugby for example.
Vancouver Whitecaps and U.S. youth national team forward Omar Salgado will miss the next 2-to-3
months after breaking his foot, sources told Fox Soccer on Thursday.
Salgado suffered the injury while on international duty with the U.S. Under-20 men's national
team, which is currently in South America for matches against Uruguay and Chile.
